oldcoastie, I am a retired news photographer...better know as a photo-Journalist !!! Just a high class name !!!, Further, taught photo class in an Art Institute and gave classes for basic's and up in the local YMCA. I found it difficult to purchase a Kodak Camera but I learned that was a great move. I talked several friends into the same and they never looked back. Hey, there are other great cameras out there and I am not advertising this one. No way to talk about anything if one doesn't mention what he/she is talking about. At work we used all Nikon Gear and some Hasselblads. Canon was the first company to make a camera with everything on it right from the start while others added on through the years. Canon it a great outfit but again..cost has to be a consideration. If one wants undefined quality, shoot Raw being there is no reduction in original shot quality. Many cameras are coming into play with this feature today and as long as your editing software can handle it. Also today, one doesn't really need anything much bigger than a 12 or 14 mp and if along with the RAW, it can go to much greater resolution. Rattling on here but whatever you decide, good luck and looking forward to seeing some of your pix's.